Ask In between Good and Evil

Relin stepped outside the church, wiping the sweat from his brow. He had been assisting with surgery for the better part of the afternoon. The day had since faded, the last bits of light disappearing behind the horizon. Storm clouds brewed over the woods behind the church, ominous growls of thunder coming every couple of minutes.

The wind had begun to pick up as The young cleric sat down on the old wooden bench outside the church by the wood way. The streets were abandoned, and the area had a deserted feel to it given its location in the outskirts of the village.

Relin had been awake since before dawn and was exhausted but found it difficult to muster to motivation to make it back to the small room he stayed in behind the church. Instead, he leaned back against the stone wall that ran along the road way in front of the church. His head went to the holy symbol around his neck as it often did when he was bored.

Something stirred within himself. He couldn't place a finger on it. He was still new to his order and found it difficult to hear the quiet whisperings of his good. He continued to look out into the distance at nothing in particular as he contemplated what had happened.

The dark was never something one should underestimate. While fire kept some people safe, some daemons and the like loved fire and would rush to it like flies on a warm lamp. One such daemon was the most adorable little fire serpent. Though, to a human it probably didn't seem cute to their standards. The creature in length was a good ten feet long, but only about as wide as a grape. There serpents were more of the "bite and poison" kind of snakes compared to the "squeeze the life out of you" pythons. As the black and red snake made its way through the grass it gave off a small pulse of orange light like it was breathing fire. It's tongue flicked back and forth smelling the church up ahead. Little embers sparked in the air as it tasted the air.

It smelled fire. It smelled flesh. It didn't smell the other demon hovering above it some twenty feet over its head. The snake slithered quickly, ready to strike at its prey. The daemon was careless. It was hungry. The young boy didn't seem to even notice it's presence. It was about to strike, aiming for its ankle, when suddenly the girl rushed down and smashed it with her boot. Its guts splattered across the grass, a slight flame burned in its place which the girl then proceeded to snuff out with her boot.

"Careful, now" she'd say to the boy. "You really don't want to get bit by one of those things."

The girl before him was a strange creature to be sure. She was dressed in a black and green leather that left her shoulders bare. Her wrists up to the top of her forearm were covered in the same armor. The top part of the outfit curved past her hips and ended in a skirt where she had black leggings going down into tall lace up boots. She had no weapons on her to be seen, nor did she have any sort of carrying pouches or back packs. Which was strange because the boy might think, "where had this girl come from?" She hadn't ever been in the village before, and if she came from the forest then where was her hiking gear?

Standing up straight, she'd dust her hands off and brush some of the hair out of her face. The girl looked human enough, but looks were very deceiving. Around her neck was a single necklace, a small golden cross that was hung by the smaller line rather than the top where a crucifix was normally hung. Was it some fashion statement, or something more? Either way, it was rather uncommon.

He let his mind wander, dismissing the passing feeling as a byproduct of his stressful day. A cool breeze picked up, brushing across his face. It carried with it the faintest signs of winter. It would still be some time before they saw any snow in Jalik's Crossing but it was a definite sign that summer had ended.

He didn't see the snake, only the flash of motion at his side as the girl came down from the sky. He would like to think he would have responded gracefully, but as he turned to jump away, his feet got tangled in one another and he was sent sprawling across the dusty road. He spun on the ground to face the girl, pushing himself backwards. He reached for the sword at his belt, but it got twisted around in the fall. If Father Bralin had seen this, he would have been punished for sure. The man was a crusader before being sent to the sleepy village to run the church.

"Uhh..." he said, words failing to form. "Who are..." he began to ask before looking down and seeing the snake, the embers in its eyes slowly fading to nothing. "What is that?!" he said. He, of course, had seen snakes before but nothing like this and definitely nothing so large. He had a fear of the creatures and hated when he was sent into the forest to catch them so Father Bralin could extract the venom from them so the local apothecary could make an antidote.

He starred at the now headless creature for several long seconds, his head still foggy from sudden encounter before he slowly looked back up to the girl's face."I.." he said trying to compose himself. "..thank you." he finally settled on.

The girl would cock her head to the side as she looked over the boy. He had a sword in hand, but he didn't seem like he knew how to use it. It took a certain vibe to be a warrior, and one could see it in their eyes. The girl didn't seem to see that. What she did see though, was the cross around his neck. Slightly in resemblance to her own. But it made her scowl looking at it. A priest? Or just some religious folk? Either way, it troubled her.

Looking away from him at the large building next to them she'd ask, "This is a church isn't it? Go figure I'd end up here." She'd then sigh and offer a hand to help the boy up. "And you're welcome. Name's Evelyn. What's yours?"

Evelyn, it seemed, was a very pretty girl. While leaning forward to help him up, the light from one of the church's torches lit up her face behind her dark hair. She had green eyes so much like emeralds he might even think they were indeed gems. She also had a friendly smile, which seemed to change her personality altogether from the badass chick she'd just been when crushing that snake. The other thing he might notice, was the girl was young. She looked no older than fifteen or sixteen.

They looked at each other for a few seconds, he expression turning to a scowl that wasn't overly hostile, but still sent a chill down his back. He stayed on the ground, like an idiot. Later he likely endless chastise himself for being weird. Where had the girl even come from? Was she flying? That wasn't possible...was it? He had heard of such magic in the capital, but that was hundreds of miles away. He wasn't going to bring it up, at the risk of sounding even more odd.

He pushed some of the hair from his face that had fallen during his tumble as she moved towards him. "It is." he said as he accepted her hand up. Her hand was soft, but she was strong, deceptively so. "This is the church of Pelor." he explained further.

"I'm Relin." he said, dusting himself off and right his disheveled clothes. "Did you just arrive in Jalik's Crossing?" he asked. The village was about as close to the middle of nowhere that you could get. It was a solid week's journey to the closest village. He looked past her down the direction she must have come from. She appeared to be alone. The roads weren't the most dangerous, most bandits chose more traveled paths but it still wasn't smart to travel alone out here.

She also wore a necklace, a sideways cross. Relin had never seen such a symbol. His holy symbol contained a cross with the sun background. The sun symbol was a common sign of any follower of Pelor, but the cross indicated the order that he and his master belonged to. While he had never met any other members of the militant order, he had often heard the stories of their crusades from his master and mentor, Father Bralin.

"Would you like to come inside? I am sure you are hungry from your journey." he said gesturing towards the small church building. "There is also an inn if you go further down the road into the village." he said pointing towards the dim lights in the distance. "I could take you, if you would like." he offered.

Evelyn would assist Relin to his feet and then back up some to give him some space. He seemed skittish, and with that blade she didn't want him doing anything stupid. Explaining to her the name of the church, Evelyn seemed to back up once again. Her scowl returned for another moment.

"I did," she'd reply when he asked her if she'd just shown up. "But I think I'll stick to the inn. Thanks. For the um....bed."

The girl seemed iffy about going anywhere near the church but the idea of going to the inn seemed much more hospitable. She'd put her hands on her hips and look around for a moment, wondering what she was going to do about money. It was quite clear she didn't seem to possess anything on her person, unless she was hiding it in her boot.

Noticing he still had his sword in his hand, he quickly slid it back in its sheath. Father Bralin had started teaching him the weapon, but learning was slow. The older priest insisted he carry it with him to get used the weight and feel of it.

She backed up at the mention of the church. It was not an unheard of response. Many felt uncomfortable around the church, afraid they would be judged. Perhaps some were right to fear Pelor. Regardless, he didn't push the issue further. "The inn it is then." he said turning to towards the village a gesturing with a hand.

She then mentioned she had no money. They wouldn't have charged her anything at the church but the inn would cost some money. After a second of thought. "Don't worry about it." he responded. "Think of it as me repaying you for saving me." he said looking back towards the snake. To be honest, he would have paid anyway. Charity was a tenant of his faith, one that he followed the best he could. Besides, he didn't have much personal use for money.

"So are you just passing through? We really don't get man travelers through here.." he said as they walked along the dusty road. "Where you coming from?" he asked.

Evelyn smiled at his kind words and would follow after him as they headed for the inn. She had a skip to her step, and was awfully cheery for a girl who was out this late at night unprotected. Her eyes seemed to light up as she looked around the village until she then got distracted by the stars up above and focused on them instead. He would then say to her as they walked that he would pay her way, and she tilted her head to the side and offered him her biggest smile.

"That's so sweet of you!" she would say.

She didn't feel like she was using him, since she had saved his life. Though it was entirely possible he could have handled the daemon on his own. How much could one meal and room cost in this tiny town anyway? They might even get a discount since it was the boy bringing her there. Unless of course the innkeeper thought they were there for totally different reasons. That would not happen! No way!

But then again...she felt a little mischievous and wondered how far she could push this boys buttons to make him flush. It had been so long since she had anyone to play with, even in the smallest of ways. As she planned her devious ideas he'd ask her if she was passing through and where she had come from. Apparently they didn't get a lot of outsiders here. To be expected in such a rural place.

"If you must now," she'd start and turn to face him, walking backwards now as they talked. "I'm out hunting demons. Big ones. Not those run of the mill daemons that have been creeping up, but full fledged, hell spawn, bat wings and horns kind of demons."

There were two types of demons in this realm. Daemons, and demons. To differentiate, one must understand that there is in fact a Heaven and a Hell. Though they exit in ways that most might not expect. Daemons, with an "A" come from dark spirits that have lived without light for so long they forgot how to exit in it. This is why daemons usually come out a night. They are similar to Night Elves and Dark Elves, though both species would deny being related. One could also argue that vampires, werewolves, and other creatures of the night are daemons, but recent integration of their species into the humanoid worlds have since began separating them as their own races. Much in the way each fruit has its own name to clarify what type of fruit one might be eating at any particular time.

Demons without the silent "A" are something far more worse. Demons are born when a sinful soul leaves this mortal plane and is banished to the underworld; no easy feat mind you. To get sent there, one must commit acts of horrid nature so that no amount of forgiveness can ever make up for the deed. Then, these tortured souls are transformed so much through pain and agony they begin to become the monsters they were on the inside. And when a demon escapes that hellish realm, returning to the mortal plane, they wreak destruction and death wherever they go because that is all they know how to do.

"Demons?!" he said raising a skeptical eyebrow. "Out here? I don't think you find any of those out here." he said as the entered the outskirts of the village. The small tavern came into view, a sign hanging crooked above the door reading "The Wayward Bull". The sign creaked as it blew lazily in the evening air.

"Maybe out by Lastwall." he said looked back behind them. That was on the side another side of the mountains and a good 500 miles to the north. "but not out here.." he said approaching the door. Even from outside the familiar smells and sounds of a tavern drifted into the street. He held open the door for Evelyn and followed after her.

The tavern was warm and pretty cozy. It was half full, as it usually was with a single musician playing quietly in the corner. He made his way to the bar. A large woman with cheery red cheeks came out from the back. "Relin! Its good to see you!" she said smiling warmly as she picked up a dirty mug and began cleaning it. "Hi Rosie." he replied fondly. He had known the woman his entire life. "What can I do for ya?" she asked.

"Well, I need a room." he said innocently. "The good father kick you out, lad?" she asked before noticing the girl standing beside him. "Ohhhhhh." she said, grin growing. "Uh?" he asked, not sure what she was getting at as he looked to Evelyn before realizing what she was implying. "Wait! Uhhh...No! Shes just came into town and just needs a place to stay for the night. I..I mean we..I mean the church is helping her out...thats it..." He said his face growing several shades of red.

The woman laughed. "Sure, lad. Whatever you say." she said winking. "For Pelor's sake.." he mumbled tossing several coins on the bar. It would cover a couple of nights at the inn and food for both of them.

"Why don't ya both take a seat and I'll get ya something to eat." she said sliding the coins into a pocket in her apron. Still red he was able to get out a muted "Thanks." before desperately looking for a table.​

The young teen was skeptical of any real demons. He was lucky to have not seen such monsters. Well, if only he really knew the truth. But still, his world would be changing soon enough. He'd explain to the black haired girl that this far out in the countryside she wouldn't have any hope in finding a real demon. As they walked into the tavern, she really wished he was right. Inside, they went up to the counter and were met with the owner who had a friendly rapport with Relin. As the two conversed, Evelyn let her mind wander as she looked around the place. It was cozy, and the music from the bard over there was peaceful.

When she heard Relin getting emotional and stuttering with her words, she turned back and flashed another large smile at the girl. She shrugged her arms around the boy and got all close and in his personal bubble.

"Yep yep yep! It's totally what it looks like. Come on, sugar bear."

She'd turn and start pulling him away from Rosie while giggling like a devious child. It was just too easy and Relin's own embarrassment made him an easy target. She'd hear the bar owner offer them to a table and so Evelyn directed her feet towards one. She sat down and let Relin sit beside her; though she wouldn't argue if he tried to pull away and sit on the opposite side of her. Once seated, she crossed her legs under her butt and sat on her feet.

"So! You really don't think demons are out this far? Have you ever...seen a demon?"

He was mortified. Rosie let out a hearty laugh as Relin was pulled away towards a table. While such things weren't forbidden by the church, it was pretty frowned up for young clerics in training, his teacher was more strict than others. Even with it being a joke, he was sure he would hear about it from Father Bralin. There were no secrets in a place like this.

Falling into the seat next to her, he regained his composure for the second time that night. This girl had a way of throwing him off balance and Relin didn't like it...mostly.

"I...well...I haven't actually seen a demon in person before." he said somewhat defensively. He was expected to be the expert or at least some knowledgeable in these types of things ""but I have read about them plenty and I have heard a lot from my master who fought in the crusades against the demons but that was far from here...Have you?" he asked

He thought a moment before adding "Maybe there have been imps or the like in these parts before but nothing too dangerous..." he said but less confidently than before. She was probably just pulling his leg again. There were no demons.

Rosie came out with two plates of smoked fish on a bed of rice. "And here we go." she said putting the plates down on the table. "Let me know if you need anything else." she said winking at Evelyn.

"You're lucky then," she replied when he said he'd never seen a demon.

He'd then go on to explain something about the crusades, and she gave him a strange look. She'd never heard of that term. It must have been part of the large expedition the church had when they went after the demons. Yes, that made sense. He then asked her if she'd ever seen a demon and she nodded her head. But before she replied he would add that if he had seen things they were probably lesser daemons. It made sense.

The tavern barkeep would then come around with food and Evelyn pulled her plate closer. The fish smelled delightful. She quickly tore into it (with her silverware) and moaned loudly. It was every bit as tasty as it looked. She kept going at it like she hadn't had food in days.

Finally she would set her fork down and reply to his question, "I've seen my share of horrible things. And I'm sure very soon I'll see it again soon. Unless I've totally lost the trail..."

What thought about what she meant by him being lucky? "I don't know about lucky, but Pelor watches over us." he said out of habit, trailing off at the end. For whatever reason, he felt embarrassed to say it to her, it felt...out of place. His face shifted to a slight scowl as she devoured her meal.

It was not uncommon for travelers to show up having run out of supplies along the way, half-starved but she didn't seem like one of those people. He couldn't put a finger on her. He also ate, although with less enthusiasm as he thought to himself. The fish was good, much better than the bland meal he would have eaten at the church.

He looked towards her, eyes grew serious. "What do you mean by that? Are people in danger?" he asked. If there was indeed a danger, Father Bralin would need to hear of it immediately. Relin had sworn to protect these people from the blight of evil. He wasn't sure exactly what that meant. It seemed like words at the time.

"What are you chasing?" he asked again, turning in the seat to face her.

At his mention of Pelor, she'd scoff as if laughing at some personal joke. She didn't explain what it was though. The meal went on for a little bit and when Evelyn mentioned the demon she was chasing Relin seemed to realize the potential threat. Asking if they were in danger, she'd shake her head. Her mouth was full of food, so when she responded he pretty heard a bunch of gargle. He'd then ask what exactly it was she was chasing.

Swallowing her mouthful of food she'd now reply again, "Would you believe me if I told you I was chasing a dragon?" Of course he wouldn't. Why would he. She explained further. "So it's not official, and mainly just a hunch. But I'm chasing a girl who's supposed to be some demon dragon. There's only been one such dragon in existence, a black dragon named Balal. He and I.....have history."

Evelyn looked away, seemingly like she didn't want to talk about the subject. But she continued, and it was clear the subject was painful for her, "I don't know much about this, other than the fact she has powers much like him. And that scares me. If the two were to meet and join forces, I'm not sure this world could take it."

He finished his meal, listening as she explained herself. None of that seemed like it could be real. Demons? Dragons? He raised an eyebrow.

"You're messing with me, right?" he said chuckling kind of nervously and nudging her. "Yeah yeah..pick on the dorky priest. It's funny." he said. Of course, she was joking, though maybe she wasn't. He hadn't thought it, but she could be insane. It could explain why she was out here all alone.

He had heard stories of people getting trapped out in the woods for long periods of time by themselves but somehow survived. It ruined the minds of somehow were mentally strong enough. He looked into her eyes, searching for clues about her intentions, searching for insincerity.

Regardless, his master would want to know what he had heard. He took his notebook, flipped past some sketches of trees and wildlife to an open page and wrote down some of the things she had said.

Clearly, she wasn't joking. He would still take note of it, going to write out what she'd said. She waited a moment, and then pulled it from him and then took the pencil too. She didn't do it in any rude way, just like a sibling taking something from a sibling. She began drawing a symbol. It was demonic for sure. When finished, she pushed it back toward him.

"This...this is the symbol of the demon, Balal. If you ever see this symbol, then we are in trouble. Run, as far as you can. Yeah?"

She gave him a small smile and then looked back at her food. Somehow, she didn't feel hungry anymore. She pushed her plate away and set her fork down over the last of her food. She sighed and leaned forward onto her elbows, cupping her chin in the palms of her hands.

She took the notebook from him, and he looked on in discomfort. He would need to show his master. He would know what to do and if this was credible.

"Well look." he said looking out the window "It's getting late and I need to be getting back." he said pushing his own plate away. "Let me know if you need anything else while you're in town." he said putting his notebook back in his bag and moving to stand. "It was nice to meet you, Evelyn and thank you for the information." he said turning and nodding his head in a small bow.

He wasn't sure what it was, maybe seeing the symbol just spooked him out, but he had a growing sense of dread. He felt uneasy about going out into the night like there was danger out there. Of course, that was ridiculous. He had walked the road from town to the church thousands of times at night but he couldn't shake his unease.

He forced it aside for the moment and waved goodbye to the friendly tavern keeper and opened the door. He paused at the door, looking out into the night, the lump growing larger in his stomach by the step.

And now she felt like she'd done something wrong. Evelyn gave him a sad look, but passed his things back to him. He stood up and would then begin packing everything back up into his sack. She looked down at her food, sighing once more. Then, trying to make him not feeling any guilt of what had happened, gave him a smile as if nothing was wrong.

"No I understand. It's late."

And with that he turned to leave. Eve was suddenly behind him, grabbing at his shoulder. He wouldn't have heard her get up from the table, but a small poof of black smoke was vanishing into the air. It was only there for a second, and in the dim lighting it might have looked nothing more than a passing shadow. Unless he had really keen eyes of course.

"Hey wait!" she gently turned him around and as he did she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "That's for dinner!" She'd start backing up now, walking backwards with a gentle smile. Her hands folded behind her back. "Come see me tomorrow, yeah? I'll be up bright and early. So long as its after noon."

That was a little joke. She hadn't getting up early if she didn't have to. Before he could say anything else she turned and skipped away through the tables and up the stairs on the side of the tavern to head up to one of the rooms on the second floor. She closed the door, not worrying about where Relin had gone and sat on the bed. But as soon as her butt hit the mattress she gave out and fell backwards onto it with a long dejected sigh. Spreading out along the bed sheets she looked up at the ceiling; her black hair pooling around her. She wished she could tell Relin the truth...but then his life would be in danger.

***

The next morning, there would be no signs of Evelyn. Nor would there be any sighting of her in the afternoon. Or at night for that matter. She had asked him to meet her, but where had she gone. Rosie would not know. And no one else seemed to have any clue. It wasn't until dusk that a guard near the end of the village would call out for help. He rushed from his post going over to a young woman who was limping down the path. She collapsed into his arms, crying out in pain.

The man was freaking out. Evelyn was covered in blood. A long end of a sword was protruding through her left kneecap, sideways making the knee unable to bend. The man set her down as he stared at his hands helplessly. What should he do? Try and take it out? He didn't know. He kept calling for help. One of the other guards down the line would then blow into his horn, calling for others to come running as he too came up upon the sight of the bleeding girl.

"Relin!" she cried to them. She clutched onto the man's shirt. "Get Relin!"

Distracted, he didn't notice her appear behind him but felt the hand on his shoulder. He turned around and his face flushed again. He stood for a second before opening his mouth the reply but no words came. Why did have to be so weird? She then went upstairs and Relin finally left the door frame, stepping out into the night.

The dread had retreated for the moment, but everything still felt off. He walked quickly as to not be out in the night for as little time as possible. He paused when he saw the front door of the church had been torn off its hinges and thrown several feet into the roadway. A foul smell, like sulfur, filled the air. Relin's mind froze as he stared into the empty doorway.

He drew his sword and took several steps forward before the firelight inside dimmed and for a few seconds before returning to normal. The air began to clear. He took several more steps inside, finally seeing the grizzly scene. Both Master Bralin and the woman who served as a teacher and assistant for the church both were laying on the floor. They both looked like they had been torn apart by a large beast. Their stomachs and throats were torn open, insides were strewn about around them. Relin stumbled backward before vomiting in the grass outside. His mind was blank with fear, with the pain of losing the only family he knew.

Stepping back inside he saw the room again, tears forming in his eyes. He looked for any clues but didn't see anything. He wanted to collapse, to cry, to scream, but he held it in. He needed to act, there would be time for mourning later. He took his horse and rode back into town, fetching help from village guard.

The rest of the night was a blur. The town guard said it had to have been a starving animal that had come in. Relin explained the smell and the lights but they were quickly dismissed as the ramblings of grief. Trackers were sent out to find the beast that had done this, but they came back in the morning with nothing, they had not even found any tracks.

He was alone. Bralin had been like a father to him. He dug the graves himself, performed the rites of burial. They had sent a messenger to bring word of the priests passing, but it would take a couple of weeks to hear back from them, and even longer for them to send a replacement. Relin was far along in his training, but the thought of him being left alone out here seemed ridiculous.

He dealt with each moment as they had come. He had to clean the church. When such events happened, people turned to the church, would turn to Relin. He felt so overwhelmed. He had slept in over a day. He didn't notice that night was beginning return when one of the town guards ran into the church calling for him. With the guard explaining as they went they rushed to Evelyn.

He found here in bad shape, sword still protruding from her leg. It was good they hadn't removed it. The chances of them nicking and an artery were high. He looked her in the eyes for a second with a concerned look before going to work. There would be time for questions later.

He scanned her for injuries, deciding that her leg was most critical. He was alert, but the exhaustion was clear in his eyes. "Alright. I am going to remove the blade." he said, his own knife already cutting the leggings from around the wound.

Her night had been mostly uneventful. She lie there, thinking about telling Relin about the truths of the world. But that would destroy his fragile mind. He wasn't ready to see the horrors. He wasn't ready to experience loss. But as it seemed, he was already in line for something horrible. By the time she woke up, she'd missed everything. Evelyn awoke with a start, summoning a weapon in her hand out of instinct. She felt the demon. She smelled the demon. It was close. But not near her.

Leaving the room, she did a little trick that caused her to go invisible. This is what allowed her to sneak out of the village unknown. She passed by the church, looking over the signs of the destruction. She didn't pass through the threshold, however. Tears came to her eyes. When had this happened? She'd missed it completely. Her hands came to her mouth as she shuddered and tried not to let out a gasp. These two people, a priest and some nun maybe? She didn't know. But she could tell the blood. There was no reviving them.

Evelyn turned before she gave herself away and followed after the trail. It took time to track the scent, and most of the day wasted. What she found though was an ambush. And one lucky shot from one of the minions disabled her enough for them to escape. They were simple low demons, and should have been an easy battle. But they got lucky. One of them had swung its blade at her and she dodged, right into the swing of another. It pierced her flesh and she fell to the floor; the sword broke apart as her weight took over.

The demons were able to escape, but she still managed to kill a few of them as they ran off into the woods. Evelyn leaned back against the grass and tried to pull the blade free, but the pain was too great and she cried loudly. For several minutes she wept and tried again, only each time ended in failure. She'd need someone else to pull it out. And the walk back to the village was torture.

Now in the hands of the priest, he came to her with a worried expression on his face. He looked for wounds, but found that even though she was covered in blood, the only wound she had was the sword in her knee. She grabbed onto his sleeve and arched her back in agony. "Pull it out!" she screamed at him. He was wasting time. She needed it out. She needed the pain to go away.

Warning her, he then started to cut away the fabric of her leggings until there was nothing but blood and metal. She gripped his arm tightly and prepared for the worst of it. Her screams were like painful shrieks that made the birds fly from their perches. The blade came out relatively easily, but she threw a fit the whole time. It was awful listening to the sound. And many of the villagers were sad in their hearts for her.

When the hole was finally free of the blade, Relin would notice the strangest thing ever. Her blood as it seeped out of the wound it began to start weaving around in tiny tiny paths that began pulling the flesh back together. The bone and muscle inside the hole were being rebuilt as the blood clogged and melted into new flesh. Tears were flowing from her eyes still, but she no longer seemed to be screaming in horrible death.

"Thank-thank you...." she tried to say; her voice no louder than a whisper.